Intense piercing pain wracked his body, jolting him out of a deep slumber. As he struggled to regain consciousness, he felt sharp stabs of agony coursing through him. His mind was foggy and he couldn't immediately identify the source of his distress. He let out groans of pain, trying to clear his head and piece together what was happening.
Suddenly, he heard pained moans from his side, triggering a flood of memories that had been locked away in his mind. Qalo! Franny!
"Ouch!" Talax exclaimed, wincing as yet another vicious stab jolted him awake. Blinking rapidly, he gazed up at the sky in confusion. As he struggled to focus, he was confronted by a chaotic swarm of feathers, beaks, and claws. "What the fuck?!" he muttered in disbelief.
Panicked, Talax scanned his surroundings and quickly realized that he was lying on the ground just outside the cave where they had decided to camp for the night. To his horror, the ground was covered in an endless sea of birds, their sharp talons and beaks clacking in hunger.
With round, panicked eyes, Talax looked down at his body and registered the weight of the birds pecking at his exposed flesh. Understanding dawned on him as he realized that the damn flying chickens had somehow incapacitated them. He could feel whatever was in his body still at work, making him feel sluggish and disoriented.
In the chaos, he noticed two lumps in the ground, a few meters away, with countless birds cawing and pecking at each other in their haste to reach their prey. Qalo's hand was barely visible under the pile of feathers that fought on top of him. Ferdinand, on the other hand, still wore his armor, making it difficult for the murderous birds to reach him, if their frustrated caws were any indication.
Talax gritted his teeth and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and dislodging a bird that was reaching for his eyes in the process. "I guess the menu tonight has roasted magic chicken," he murmured with bitter humor.
Talax struggled to free himself from the onslaught of birds, their sharp talons and beaks leaving deep wounds in his flesh. With a fierce growl, he fought back, his dagger flashing through the air as he stabbed and slashed at the vicious creatures. Blood and feathers flew as he thrashed and twisted, struggling to break free from the relentless assault.
At last, he managed to kick free of the worst of the attackers, but a few stubborn birds remained perched on his body, their sharp talons digging into his flesh. Without hesitation, he grabbed them and pulled, tearing the birds off of him with a savage grunt of triumph. With a final burst of strength, he stood up, flinging the last of the birds off of him and scattering them into the air.
Talax's gaze shifted to Qalo, who was still moaning and trapped under the pile of birds, his hands ineffectually swatting at the remaining attackers. Franny had woken up from the chaos, but his vacant eyes suggested he was still under the influence of whatever had put them to sleep. Birds were perched on top of his head and were pecking at his face. Blood trailed down his face from multiple wounds, but thankfully, they looked shallow and would probably vanish with a health potion.
Talax charged towards Qalo, his heart pounding with adrenaline. With every step, he felt the weight of his short sword at his side. He noticed Franny struggling to fend off the swarm of birds still in a daze, and without hesitation, Talax hurled several Stone spikes in his direction. Despite his haste, Talax managed to send a few stone spikes towards the birds, hoping to scare them away. Though his aim was hindered by his rush, he managed to hit some of them, causing them to fly off in a flurry of feathers. However, one of the spikes missed its mark completely and collided with Franny's breastplate, ringing out like a bell and jolting the nobleman from his stupor.
But Talax had no time to waste on Franny; he had to reach Qalo. The half-orc lay on the ground, writhing and groaning in his sleep as the vicious birds pecked and clawed at his flesh. Talax drew his short sword and launched himself into the fray. With a primal cry, he began to hack and slash at the birds with determination.
The creatures were relentless, diving and swooping at Talax from all angles. He ducked and weaved, trying to dodge their attacks. With each swing of his sword, he felt the satisfaction of hitting his mark, cutting through feathers and flesh with ease. The birds were so tightly packed around him that it was almost impossible not to hit something.
Suddenly, a particularly large bird swooped down at him, its talons extended and ready to strike. Talax braced himself, his muscles coiled like a spring. At the last moment, he sidestepped the bird's attack, slipping past its flailing talons with a graceful twist of his body. He used the bird's momentum against it, bringing his sword down in a deadly arc that sliced cleanly through its neck.
The bird fell to the ground with a thud, its headless body convulsing in its death throes. Talax stood over the fallen bird, panting and sweating from the effort of the fight. He looked around trying to find his next target but the last of the birds took flight, sensing that the orc's meat was no longer worth dying for. But Talax refused to let them get away.
Talax narrowed his eyes and shouted at the sky like a madman. “Oh no, you don’t!” and grabbed his bow. A sense of excitement sparked inside him as he knocked an arrow and activated his new ability explosive arrow. He poured mana into his arrow until it adopted an ethereal sheen of blue mana. He felt a click and the mana stopped flowing into the new ability.
He took aim at the nearest cluster of birds, focusing all his attention on his target. With a steady hand, he let the arrow fly, watching as it sailed through the air with deadly accuracy. It struck the bird with a deafening boom, causing a wave of mana to ripple through the air. The nearby birds fell from the sky like rocks in a shower of feathers, while the ones further away were left dazed and disoriented, after a few wild flaps of their wings they managed to regain balance and flew away in a hurry.
Satisfied with his new ability, Talax turned to the unconscious orc, whose body was peppered with numerous wounds, some of them appearing quite deep and in need of attention. As he assessed Qalo's injuries, Franny jogged towards them, out of breath and bewildered.
"Were we just attacked by birds?" the nobleman asked incredulously. Talax nodded and smacked Qalo with all his might, causing the half-orc to groan and finally wake up.
"Finally!" Talax barked. "I hope your beauty sleep was restful." He mocked Qalo, who looked at him with blank eyes, his usual expression tinged with a touch of stupidity.
"How in the name of Avass did those birds manage to attack us without any of us noticing?" Franny wondered, perplexed. Talax thought about it for a moment and then had an epiphany.
"The glitter dust!" he exclaimed. "The last thing I remember was looking up in the sky and seeing the birds fly over us in a cloud of shining sparkles. I thought they were beautiful until I saw them up close, of course. They looked like chickens, just with fancier tail feathers."
Ferdinand had already given Qalo a health potion, all the while complaining about his dwindling supply, but the orc remained in a sitting position with a glazed look on his face. Talax frowned and wondered if the glitter dust had additional effects that they weren't aware of.
"Is he okay?" he asked Franny, who looked just as perplexed as he did.
"I have no idea," Franny replied. "His wounds are superficial, and he seems adequately recuperated." They heard the orc mumbling under his breath, and the two humans crouched down, trying to hear what he was saying.
At first, Talax was confused by the mumbling coming from Qalo, but as he strained his ears, he finally made out what the half-orc was saying. Talax wanted to club Qalo on the head for scaring him when he heard the half-orc muttering, "Food! So much food... I should light a fire... good with sourworm glaze... or maybe chicken-snake stew... Delicious!" Qalo stared blankly into space, lost in his gluttonous thoughts. Talax shook his head in exasperation and muttered, "He's such a pig," with a small smile.
Franny scanned the sky for any signs of the birds and let out a sigh of dejection. "Wonderful. As if the gnolls and forest beasts weren't enough, we now have to watch out for fancy chickens."
Talax shrugged. "It is what it is." Franny grunted in response, pulling out a handkerchief to clean the specks of blood from his armor.
Talax couldn't help but tease the nobleman, poking fun at his fastidiousness. "Shouldn't your butler be doing that for you?" he quipped, earning an eye roll from Franny. "With Qalo fixated on those birds, I doubt he'll be of much help," he replied with a hint of annoyance.
Talax's mind was racing with a new idea, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. "Hey, want to make a bet?" he asked Franny with a sly grin.
Franny raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "I'm not one for gambling, Talax. It's not a gentleman's pastime," he replied with a haughty tone. But then a wolfish smile spread across his face. "But I'm willing to make an exception. What's your proposal?"
Talax chuckled, excited to share his idea. "I bet you two silver that Qalo will end up eating those birds raw," he said with a grimace. "I can almost see him tearing into them with his bare hands."
Ferdinand scoffed, brushing off Talax's offer. "Two silvers? That's hardly worth my time. Let's make it twenty gold, and I'm in."
Talax's eyes widened in surprise at the exorbitant amount. He reached for his pouch and saw he only had a few coppers and a couple of silver coins. "Twenty gold? I don't have that kind of money!" he protested. "Two silvers is more than enough. Take it or leave it."
After a brief moment of consideration, Franny agreed to the bet and shook Talax's hand, the two of them grinning mischievously at each other.
They made their way back to the shallow cave, the sun sinking behind the trees casting long shadows on the ground. The cave was cool and damp, providing a welcome relief from the heat of the battle. Talax helped Franny remove his armor, the metal clanking against the walls of the cave as he carefully placed it aside. They then unrolled their bedrolls, the soft material unfurling with a satisfying rustle.
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As they settled down for the night, they munched on some of Franny's delicacies in comfortable silence. Qalo was still in a dreamlike state, staring into space with a big, goofy smile on his face. Suddenly, he stood up and started running around collecting the dead chickens as if he was afraid someone was going to steal them.
Talax fluffed his pack as best he could, using it as a makeshift pillow. The soothing darkness of the cave began to lull him into a peaceful slumber. Ferdinand, on the other hand, was alert, his eyes fixed on Qalo's every move. His competitive nature had been sparked, and he was eager to see what the half-orc would do next.
“Come on, light a fire. Don’t be a savage,” The nobleman muttered, his voice full of excitement. Franny looked like he was ready to go help Qalo and light the fire himself.
“Damn it, I can’t see!” The noble exclaimed. With a small hand gesture and a few whispered words, a small spark of light floated into the air illuminating the dark cave.
Talax eyebrows rose at the display of magic and asked a question that was on his mind for a while. “What other spells do you have?” He questioned; his curiosity peaked. Franny looked at him in surprise but then went back munching on some tarts.
"Apart from the luminous spark and reflection spell, I only know one other spell - the summoning spell called radiant imp of Sansor," Franny responded to Talax's question. Talax was impressed and couldn't help but ask another question, still curious about Franny's magical abilities. "What does the imp do?" he asked, imagining the possibilities of a radiant imp shooting beams of light out of its eyes or balls of liquid fire that scorched its enemies to ashes.
However, his excitement was quickly quashed by Franny's response. "It just hangs there, doing nothing," he replied with a shrug. Talax's disappointment was evident as he turned to the nobleman and asked, "That's it?"
Franny nodded. "Yes, it gives off a faint light, but it's not very useful since it always runs around like it's possessed by a demon. It cannot be controlled, so I usually prefer using the luminous sparkif I need light."
Talax couldn't hide his enthusiasm as he asked, "Can you summon it now?" He was excited at the prospect of witnessing Franny's magic in action. Magic was cool, who wouldn’t be excited by an imp appearing out of thin air. Franny sighed but complied, standing up and beginning to cast the spell.
Words of power flew out of Franny's mouth, heavy with magic, accompanied by small hand movements. After three seconds, a small ball of light manifested inside the shallow cave. It kept expanding until a hazy form of a humanoid creature took shape. The creature was no more than thirty centimeters in height, with a sharp nose that looked more like a beak and overlarge feet. Its toes that looked like mini sausages wiggled for a moment, as if the imp wanted to test its new surroundings. Its skin was a soft, translucent white, and its eyes were two small, glowing orbs that seemed to stare at everything and nothing at the same time. The imp's wings were small and delicate, but they fluttered with a frenzied energy as it looked around the cave with frenzied curiosity. Suddenly, its whole body froze.
"Here we go," Franny muttered, resignation tinging his words. Talax's brows furrowed at his companion's tone, but before he could question him, all hell broke loose.
The imp started running around frantically, making jerky movements across every available surface inside the cave. It jumped from wall to ceiling, leaving small sparks of light in its wake. Its movements were so rapid and unpredictable that Talax had to squint to keep track of the imp's erratic motions. At one moment, the imp was jumping maniacally atop Franny's head, and the next, it was hanging upside down from a small stalactite at the ceiling of the cave, its feet scrabbling for purchase on the rough surface.
Talax had to close his eyes when the imp jumped in front of him, the light blinding him and causing a migraine to set in. The contrast of the dark cave with the imp's radiant light was overwhelming, and Talax felt like he was trapped in a kaleidoscope of color. He heard Franny sigh, and the light show vanished instantly, leaving Talax feeling relieved and slightly disoriented.
Talax opened his eyes, feeling a little cross-eyed, and nodded at Franny, who looked slightly amused by the imp's antics.
Talax let out a pained groan as he lay back down on his bedroll, "Now I get it," he said, finally understanding Franny's reluctance to summon the manic imp.
Franny simply nodded in response, taking a seat on his own bedroll. "Yeah," he said, his voice quiet.
"But," Talax continued, "I still think you could use your magic more often. That spark was pretty effective against the gnoll. It could be a useful distraction for our enemies. And who knows, maybe you'll learn more spells that you can use to your advantage."
Franny didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stared off in the direction of Qalo, who was sitting in a lotus position with dead chickens fanning out around him like a macabre carpet. If he didn’t know Qalo’s peculiar taste in food, the sight would have been disturbing.
Franny's gaze shifted back to Talax as he replied with a somber tone. "It's not that simple, Talax. My affinity for light magic is limited." he said. "I've already reached level 8, and I don't think I'll be able to progress much further. Sure, I could learn some low-level spells, but I don't think it's worth my time. I'd rather focus on honing my fighting skills, which I know I can improve."
Talax's face fell with disappointment at Franny's response, but he still persisted. "But, Franny, magic is a valuable asset. It can give you an edge in battle."
Franny shook his head with finality. "I understand that, Talax. But, for me, magic is a dead end. I've accepted that."
The conversation left a palpable silence in the air, and they both watched Qalo in silence. The orc was rummaging inside his pack with determination, and Franny couldn't help but ask.
"What is he doing?" Talax smiled with satisfaction and extended his hand.
"I won," he declared as Qalo started looping a rope around a chicken's legs and then to another's neck.
Franny's words trailed off in astonishment as he watched Qalo fashioning a scarf made out of chickens. The orc's nimble fingers moved with surprising dexterity, weaving the legs and necks of the dead birds together into an intricate pattern. The result was a macabre yet oddly impressive garment.
"Yeap!" Talax announced happily, wiggling his fingers in anticipation of his hard-earned coins. Franny groaned and mumbled to himself as he gave Talax his reward. They stayed for a little while longer, watching Qalo hard at work, but then grew bored and decided to rest for the night, leaving Qalo to take the first shift.
As they settled down into their bedrolls, Talax couldn't help but comment on Qalo's strange hobby.
"He's certainly a unique character, that one."
Franny chuckled. "That's one way to put it.”
The night passed uneventfully, allowing the three companions to rest soundly. During his watch, Talax decided to make the most of his time and engage in something productive. He delved into the depths of his mana control, exploring the flow of magical energy coursing through his body. He could sense a significant improvement in his control since his first attempts. This time, he could feel the energy with greater clarity and even manipulate it to a small extent, as he had done in the battle with the serpent.
Talax also noted a considerable increase in the amount of mana stored in his body. It was undoubtedly a consequence of his level ups. He sensed the mana from his open gates surging through the rest of his body, imbuing him with power. Hours of studying his body and its interaction with mana had granted him a better understanding of its inner workings. As he gained levels, his mana pool expanded, which not only allowed him to cast more spells and abilities but also augmented his physical strength and attributes, as Franny had previously explained.
The morning came with a dense fog blanketing the forest ground, the three friends woke up refreshed and decided to stay a little longer in their small cave, protected from the morning chill and the bone-deep dampness of the fog. The absence of the disturbing yapping of the gnolls that had been their constant companion for the past few days also made them feel relaxed and want to spend some time doing nothing.
After they had breakfast, with Qalo munching on his chicken scarf while the two humans ate from Franny’s provisions, they decided it was time to go. With the pulsing orb as their guide, they started heading towards the dungeon. The lack of any gnoll signs was disconcerting at first, but as they travelled under the cheery sunrays of the morning sun and the singing voices of the birds all concerns faded away.
A couple of times the appearance of a wild animal startled them, but thankfully they weren’t attacked by the wild beasts that they heard roam this part of the forest. Qalo and Franny fell back into their familiar roles, bickering over every little thing. The noble issued orders, while the half-orc complained incessantly in his high-pitched voice that sounded like a mosquito buzzing in your ear.
Without the constant threat of the gnolls, the two companions had relaxed, and their tense shoulders and perpetual frowns had eased into calm expressions with a smile at the ready, unless they were arguing, of course. However, their care-free attitude started to change as night began to descend and their surroundings began to shift. The three friends huddled closer together, their eyes darting around nervously, searching for any signs of danger lurking in the darkness.
As they ventured further west, the forest grew wilder and more untamed. The trees appeared to have taken on a life of their own, with their roots slithering along the forest floor like hungry tentacles, and their branches reaching out like sinister claws, ready to ensnare the unwary.
Throughout the day, thick patches of fog lingered, creeping and crawling around the bases of the trees like ghostly apparitions. The mist seemed to pulse with a sickly green glow, illuminating the twisted vines and gnarled thorns that snaked and tangled around the trunks of the trees. The fog gave the forest an eerie quality, as if the entire wood was alive and breathing.
“Maybe there's a reason why there are no more gnolls around,” Franny muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to draw attention from the forest. Suddenly, a rustling sound made all three companions jump, and they turned to see a large owl staring back at them, unfazed by their presence. Talax felt his heart racing, but he tried to remain calm as he spoke in a hushed tone, "We need to find a place to pass the night. I don't like staying out in the open."
As if in response to his words, a faint beam of moonlight shone down a few meters to the east, illuminating a path as if a divine hand had guided them.
As they approached the fallen tree trunk, Franny's eyes widened in amazement. "I told you; you have to change your name," he murmured. The massive trunk was easily fifteen meters in length, and its round, hollow shape was overgrown with a lush carpet of moss and luminescent mushrooms that cast an eerie glow on their surroundings.
Qalo's eyes lit up at the sight. "Next time you should ask for a probovine!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Talax turned to look at him, but hesitated before asking. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer. Franny, however, seemed eager to educate him.
Franny's face scrunched up in disgust as he spoke. "A probovine is a creature with an impossibly long snout that feeds on other animals'... Excrement. Its stench is said to be legendary, so foul that citizens from both the higher and lower realms can detect their presence, even through the veil!"
Qalo's eyes lit up. "Yes, but they're also delicious!"
The two companions began to argue loudly once more, their earlier reluctance to make noise forgotten. Talax checked the hollow trunk and was delighted to find that it could accommodate them comfortably, with soft moss on the ground making their stay even more pleasant.
Franny and Qalo's argument died down, and they settled into the comfortable hollow of the fallen tree trunk. The trunk was so large that they couldn't see each other's faces even though they were only a few feet away. The air was damp and smelled of earth and decaying leaves, but the softness of the moss on the ground made it a cozy shelter.
As Talax sat guard at the entrance of the tree, the forest around them came alive with the sounds of the night. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, and the rustling of small animals could be heard as they scurried through the underbrush. The moon was high in the sky, and its light filtered through the leaves, casting eerie shadows on the ground.
Talax's eyes scanned the darkness, looking for any sign of danger. He gripped his sword tightly, ready to defend himself and his companions if necessary. The thought of a magic chicken attacking them made him smile inwardly. He had faced worse in his adventures.
As the night wore on, Talax felt his eyes grow heavy, and he struggled to keep them open. He leaned back against the rough bark of the tree, trying to stay alert. He wondered how long they would have to stay in this forest and how many more dangers they would have to face before they reached their destination. But for now, all he could do was stay vigilant and hope for a peaceful night.